A Missed Opportunity
by Noie84
Summary: Jack feels Liz slipping through his fingers.
1. Chapter 1

She's having a baby. Or plans to have a baby, if he wishes to be more accurate. The fact that this is merely something she _intends_ to do does not lessen his ambivalence. He assumed, over the years, that she decided to shelve the idea of becoming a mother. After he failed to assist her in adopting a child (and perhaps, he suspects, this is when her crush on him faded and shifted back to neutral, platonic territory) and he then became entangled in his own mess of love affairs. First to a woman who murdered her husband, then to a former childhood flame married to another man and then to a woman who rivaled him in terms of ruthlessness and aggression. All relationships disintegrated before they even truly began. But Liz Lemon is still very much in his life. And she's having a baby with someone else.

A lesser man, a man prone to indulging in self-pity, would lament the irony and the lost opportunity. But Jack Donaghy doesn't look back, only forward. So he is going to support his friend – and he must acknowledge that is all she can be to him now - as she embarks on this new exciting phase in her life.

But, on his way back to his apartment, he allows himself a moment to indulge in contemplating what a Jack and Liz relationship would resemble. He imagines, aside from his apartment being filled with Star Wars memorabilia- it wouldn't be much different than what they are like now. This realization doesn't lessen his malaise. He wonders why he never thought of this before. Why he allowed himself to become so obtuse and how he could not see the solution to his happiness staring right at him for six years.

He has no intention of acting upon his recent realization. He is through sabotaging relationships for his own gain and will not compromise Liz's happiness for his own. So when he arrives at his apartment, he gets into his bed and convinces himself that a life bereft of companionship is not so bad. He has Liddy. He has his job. He has Liz (for _now_ – his brain annoyingly reminds him). He is about to fall asleep when his phone alerts him that he has received a text message.

Liz Lemon:

Hey buddy! Just wanted to make sure you're okay after today…I know you said you're fine but divorce is a bummer (even for guys like you who are made of Teflon). You'll find somebody awesome soon. Because you're pretty great.

He smiles sadly to himself and knows that Liz is wrong. He won't find somebody "awesome," because, sadly, he already has.

For the rest of the summer, he makes a conscientious effort to spend time away from Liz in an attempt to establish distance from her (also, witnessing her look at Criss adoringly has spurned pangs of jealously within him that are decidedly unpleasant and unbecoming for a man of his stature). During this time, he sleeps with no fewer than 8 different women, over half of them under the age of 35.

Usually, a night spent in the arms of a flexible, blonde dance student at NYU was once a very effective prescription for heartache, but now he finds these incidents leaving him empty and wanting for something more substantive, or at the very least, searching for a connection that goes beyond the woman's ability to reenact his favorite pornography scenes.

The morning TGS is scheduled to begin its 7th season, Jack mentally and emotionally prepares himself for Liz to barge into his office and regale him with whatever hijinks are already ensuing on her floor. As if on cue, Liz does come barreling into his office looking disheveled and stunned. He looks up at her from his desk expectantly, awaiting for her to launch into the most recent TGS horror story.

Instead, she holds up her left hand and Jack sees a rather large glistening stone on he ring finger. "Criss proposed to me." She declares in a shocked, hushed whisper.

"I see that. Just now, I take it?" He says evenly, forcing his tone not to show any sort of emotion.

She nods in response, her eyes still wide with surprise. "Yeah. After breakfast. He made pancakes and then just slid this box across the table like it was no big deal and then he got down on one knee…"

Jack holds up his hand to interrupt her - he's heard enough of this pseudo-romantic proposal. "And you said yes."

"I did. I'm gonna be a wife." The realization of what she just said dawns on her and she collapses onto the couch. "Oh God, I'm going to be a wife. _Me_! Did you ever think that would happen?" When she notices his smirk, she adds, "Don't answer that."

He gets up from his chair, crosses over to the bar and pours a couple glasses of champagne for them.

"This shouldn't be that shocking to you, Lemon. As I recall, you were married once before. To someone quite extraordinary." He smiles smugly, while handing her the glass.

She rolls her eyes at his conceited reference to himself. "Yeah, but this time, it's not because of some stupid clerical error. The dude actually wants me! Can you believe that?"

Jack can't help but smile sadly at the irony. Their fake, ridiculous marriage was only one example of the slew of chances he had with her. Only one of the many missed opportunities. He realizes doing anything now to undercut her happiness, at such a late stage in the game, would be beyond cruel.

"Absolutely. I've been waiting for the day to make this toast with you."

Liz beams in response, and gently clinks her glass against his. She frowns when she notices Jack's eyes narrow at her ring finger. "Good God, Lemon. Is that…a zirconia?"

Jack grabs her hand in order to inspect the ring and Liz extracts it from his grasp defensively.

"He can't afford a real diamond right now! He said he'd replace when he has the money…"

Jack rolls his eyes, "You mean when he has access to _your_ money. Once you get married? I hope you plan on having a pre-nup drafted."

"A pre-nup? Seriously? This is what you want to talk about the day of my engagement?" She shoves her glass into his hand, causing much of it to spill over the rim and onto his fingers. "I can't believe you. Not everything is about money, Jack."

"Even love isn't exempt from being related to money, Lemon. I know this from painful and expensive first hand experiences. You need to be sensible. This man – if you can call him that – doesn't have a cent to his name. What's to stop him from marrying you for a couple years, knocking you up and then taking you for whatever he can get?"

"So that's the only reason Criss could want to marry me? Because of money?"

Her voice hitches and Jack runs after her as she hastily rushes out of his office. "Liz, that's not what I meant…I just think you deserve someone who can provide you with a ring that doesn't pass off as costume jewelry."

She lets out an exasperated sigh, "I'm_ finally_ happy, Jack. After so many years of being miserable. This ring may be a piece of crap. But nothing has ever made me happier. And if you can't handle that…then I guess you won't be coming to the wedding." Jack opens his mouth to come up with a rebuttal, but Liz immediately turns on her heel and briskly walks to the elevator. Leaving Jack alone and confused in his hallway.

This certainly wasn't how her first day back to work was supposed to go.

Before lunchtime arrives, Jack goes down to Liz's office and tentatively knocks on her partially open door.

"Yeah?" He hears her mutter distractedly and he slowly pushes the door open. When Liz sees that it's him, she immediately sits up straight and her body stiffens in her chair. "Oh…hi."

"I came to make amends." Jack announces somewhat apprehensively. "You have my full blessing, you know that. I just get…protective of you."

She looks off to the side and her lips twitch into a slight smile. "I know. But the whole point in me being married is that you won't have to go all out of your way to do that anymore."

"I think I'll always want to be protective of you. Regardless of your marital status." His eyes are fixated on hers when he says this and he does relish in a certain pride that her face lights up at his comment.

"That's really sweet, Jack. And creepy. But mostly sweet."

"I think the best declarations of the heart are usually a mixture of both." They share a smile and he places his hands on her desk and bends down to say in a hushed, conspiratorial whisper, "Let's play hooky and celebrate."

"Hooky? What are we 15?"

"We can have a ridiculously expensive lunch. See a movie. Then I'll drop you off at home where you can burn off the hundreds of calories of saturated fat you've consumed with your fiancée."

"That does sound kind of awesome." She concedes, biting her lip.

He grabs her jacket hanging by the door, holding it open expectantly. "Come on, Lemon. What's the point of being the boss unless you can be a little reckless from time to time?"

"I'm sure the execs at Ernon said the exact same thing." She says with a sardonic smile as she hops off her chair and lets Jack drape her jacket over her shoulders.

Naturally, he takes her to one of the most expensive restaurants in Midtown. Since she is wearing a fitted black dress instead of her usual plaid attire, he's relieved he doesn't have to concoct a far-fetched and elaborate story in order for her to be allowed in. This is another reason; he reminds himself, that he cannot consider Liz Lemon as a potential mate. A girlfriend of Jack Donaghy, at a minimum, should always be ready to accompany him to a formal dinning establishment without advance notice.

But during lunch, this rule of his seems to wash away as she describes her summer, wedding planning with Jenna and their attempts to convert her second floor to the nursery. Her anecdotes are a mixture of side-splittingly funny and adorable and Jack realizes that he's never had this much fun with a member of the opposite sex. The conversation between them is easy, effortless, almost as if they are already a couple and have been so for years.

During a lull in the conversation, Jack takes a moment to fish a small black velvet box out of his pocket. "Ah, Lemon," he clears his throat and chuckles nervously, "I want to give something to you."

When he presents her with the box, her eyes fly open in shock, "What the what?"

"Don't worry, it's not a proposal. I merely find the idea of a woman as unique as you walking around with a fake ring exceptionally upsetting. You deserve a genuine ring. So I've taken the liberty of purchasing one for you." When Liz opens the box, she sees that it looks exactly like the one Criss gave her. "It's an exact replica of what you're already wearing. So Criss won't notice the difference."

"But you'd notice the difference?" She asks with a quirked eyebrow.

"When a man gets engaged four times, he tends to pick up a thing or two about diamonds. I think you'll find that the one I'm giving you is a rather impressive."

"But, I can't accept this. This ring probably cost more than my first car." She gasps.

"You never _owned_ a car. And the cost is irrelevant. Think of it as an engagement present." He gently grabs Liz's hand and slowly takes off the ring Criss originally purchased for her. When she doesn't protest at his action, he takes her silence as a sign of permission to replace Criss's ring with his own. His fingers slowly glide the sparkly piece of jewelry down her finger and Liz can't help but acknowledge that this ring looks much better than a cheap piece of plastic ever would.

"Wow." She murmurs, staring at the ring in front her.

"So…you like it?" He asks unnecessarily.

"It's beautiful, Jack. Thanks. I have to admit…I feel like I'm really engaged now." Her awed fascination with the ring prevents her from noticing Jack's melancholy smile. Jack never thought he'd ever pine for a woman who is already taken, but he realizes that by buying an engagement ring for another man's fiancée, he's doing just that. Unfortunately, he also comes to the conclusion that he does not have enough conviction to stop himself from being so utterly pathetic.

"So, care to take a walk and show off your new piece of hardware to all the gold diggers in New York City?" He says, offering his arm to her after he pays the bill.

She snickers and eagerly slides her hands around his arm, "There's nothing I'd like to do more, Donaghy."

With that, they exit the restaurant and walk arm and arm in the crisp autumn weather and to any other observer in the restaurant, it would appear that the city has just gained another happily newly engaged couple.


	2. Chapter 2

A week later, when Jack steps off the elevator on six, he bumps into a euphoric Liz. She is practically floating down the hallway, clutching her old wedding dress she purchased long ago to her chest.

"Lemon." Jack nods in acknowledgement as she approaches him. "What do you have there?" He asks, his fingers causally waving in the direction of the dress.

"It's my ham napkin!" She sighs happily. "I finally found a dry cleaner that thinks they can get the smell of cured ham out!" Jack nods listlessly while Liz holds the dress under his nose, "I can't get married in something that smells like a deli." She grins, her nose twitching when she inhales the still pungent scent of meat emanating from the dress.

"Dresses already? You just got engaged."

"Criss and I decided that we want to get married as soon as possible. So if I get pregnant, it won't look like it's a shotgun wedding." Jack tries to not let his face show how taken aback he is by their sudden need to move things along. "That actually reminds me, are you bringing a plus one? I'm meeting with the caterer next week and she wants a ballpark figure of the number of guests we're expecting."

"Liz, slow down. You don't think you're…rushing things?" He asks, in the hopes that he can avoid her question about him bringing a date.

Liz raises her eyebrows, "We've been dating for over a year, Jack. We're trying to have a family. And, as you've pointed out many times, I'm not getting any younger. What am I supposed to be waiting for exactly?"

Her words cause him to feel a pang of regret; of course Liz has internalized his brutally honest, and sometimes harsh, words and used them to justify a quick and speedy engagement. "Point well taken. When exactly will these nuptials take place?"

"November 17 – 6 weeks form now," she beams, "and then I'll be a married lady!" She playfully punches Jack's arm, and Jack chuckles nervously to offset his dismay.

"Well, it sounds like you have a lot on your plate. So I will let you get to it…" He gives her a slight, quick nod and presses the elevator button so he can make a hasty retreat back to his floor.

"Hey, Jack, if you don't have a date lined up, there's this lady who goes to my aerobics class. She's really pretty, she's a lawyer, I think? About a couple years younger then me, I could give you her number –"

He bristles at her suggestion, "I don't know what's harder to believe – that notion that you are regularly attending an aerobics class or that are you trying to set _me_ up on a date."

She smiles bashfully and gives non-committal shrug, fully aware at how absurd it is that she is trying to improve somebody else's love life. "I just think you two may hit off."

"Trust me, my love life is not so dire that I need Elizabeth Lemon to play matchmaker." He replies tersely, causing Liz to frown.

"I didn't mean to offend you…" She begins, but Jack is quick to interrupt her.

"Finding someone beautiful and eligible to accompany me to a mildly entertaining event is what I do best, Liz. No need to worry." He deliberately ignores the hurt look on Liz's face and steps on the elevator. His abrupt and standoffish attitude, he hopes, will curtail her revealing any more additional details about this wedding that he wishes to God was not scheduled to take place. One thing is certain though - he's going to have to be very drunk to be able to survive this event, he's sure of it.

Luckily, Hank has asked Jack to visit several different affiliates along the east coast, resulting in him being out of town for two weeks. He hopes that being away from her, from her utter happiness and contentment, will bring him some clarity on the matter. It must be his new found single status and loneliness, he reasons, that has him lusting and coveting his best friend. He forces himself to believe that this is a strange, inconvenient and temporary infatuation and one that will dissipate once he sees her say "I do" to another man.

He can't pretend that this is true, though, when he receives a late night call from her one night and grins just from hearing the sound of her voice. That he practically swells with pride after she thanks him for helping her solve the latest Tracy and Jenna feud. And he certainly can't pretend that this is only a silly crush when his heart expands when as she asks him when he's coming home and then reveals that she misses him.

"Hey, Jack?" She says, right before he is about to hang up.

"Yes, Lemon?"

"Sorry, I've been out of it lately. The whole wedding planning thing isn't all it's cracked up to be."

He can't resist asking, "Oh, trouble in paradise?"

She snorts, "No, Criss and I are great. It's just a lot of planning and you know how I am when it comes to attention to detail and organizing. And Criss is even worse at those things than I am. Huh, it would be so much easier if I just married you!"

For a moment, he doesn't even know if he can find words, "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, I meant…you know, someone like you. Who's anal about getting all the little details right. You're good at that stuff."

He lets out an uncomfortable chuckle and says, "Of course. Well, better luck next time?"

Practically sensing that she's rolling her eyes at his comment, he smiles when she lets out an exasperated sigh and says, "Good night, Jack. Come back home soon."

"I'll do my best."

He is finally back home at the end of his long and boring trip. Although he misses Liddy very much, he's thankful that Avery took care of her while he was away and that she is scheduled to bring her back tomorrow. Having one more night of quiet before jumping back into his routine is ideal. He opens the door to his apartment and sets down his bags with a heavy sigh. Right as he does so, he hears an urgent knock at the door. His brows furrow in confusion, since it's rather late at night and he's certainly not expecting any visitors after his business trip. Looking through the peephole, he sees an irate and agitated Liz waiting outside the door.

"Lemon?" He opens the door and Liz brushes past him and bursts into his apartment in a frenzy. "What in heaven's name is wrong?" Her back is currently facing him and he's tempted to touch her shoulder, but he's not sure if any sort of contact would be appropriate at the moment. She seems angry, upset and totally unpredictable. Dear God, even this version of her seems to turn him on.

"Criss broke up with me." She whirls around, her face showing a mixture of panic and fury. "He was cleaning and he found the ring he originally got me. And then he started asking all these questions…"

"Did you tell him the truth?" He asks, trying his best to remain as calm as possible.

"You know what a horrible liar I am, _of course_ I told him the truth!"

"Well, then, the truth is not so bad. He couldn't afford a decent ring. I could. So I purchased one for you."

She shakes her head, obviously reliving the argument between her and Criss in her mind. "He accused me of being too co-dependent on you. Too invested in what you think of me. Too…emotionally involved with you."

"He accused you of being in love with me?" Her eyes are downcast, but when he asks this question, her gaze shifts upward and she nods numbly.

Jack has several follow up questions – too many to even begin to comprehend – but Liz's mood shifts again and she starts pacing back in forth in his living room. "He's totally nutburgers, Jack. I don't even_ flirt_ with you! You don't flirt with me! The whole concept is ridiculous."

Her most recent comment forces him to abandon what he was initially going to say, so he lets Liz stew for a few moments while he goes to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine for the both of them. When he returns, he hands her a glass of white wine, which she accepts gratefully, and downs the entire glass in three large gulps. She lets out a short, pained sigh and extends the glass so Jack can refill it. He does so obediently, but his eyes narrow in concern.

"Ah, Lemon, you may want to slow down."

"The best guy I've ever been with just dumped me. Right now, I just want to get drunk."

Even Jack is wise enough to know that this is not the time for a Jack Donaghy motivational speech, so he grabs her hand and pulls her down so she's sitting beside him on the couch. "In that case…may I join you?"

"Yeah, sure. It's your booze and your house," she shrugs, "and you're the only man I know who's not an idiot."

"Well…with that ringing endorsement…" They clink their glasses together and Jack is pretty sure he's never felt such an acute combination of elation, relief and trepidation in his life. This is his chance to woo her, he's sure of it. But he knows that this is a situation where Liz is very fragile and, as such, he has to tread very lightly or risk alienating her forever.

Between the two of them, they easily polish of two bottles of wine. Liz leans forward to refill their glasses, but when she tips the bottle she sees that it's empty. "Whops, no more. We made all gone!" She giggles and tosses the bottle off to the side. "Where's your wine cellar, Jackie? I'll get us another bottle." She begins to rise from the couch, but Jack gently places his hand on her arm.

"It's rather late, perhaps we should call it a night." While he doesn't want to cut the night short, to be fair, he also drank on the flight home and while he's certainly been drunker before, he believes he's quickly reaching a point where he may not be fully able to control his urges and desires.

"Can this please be one night where you're not all bossy, _'Do this, Lemon,'_ and _'I don't care for those shoes, Lemon.'_" Her awful imitation of him never fails to bring a smile to his lips and this time is no exception.

"How about: 'I care for you and don't want you to spend the rest of tomorrow vomiting in front of a toilet," he pauses, and slowly pulls her body close so she's resting against him, "…Lemon."

She looks up at him, her mind obviously foggy from the alcohol and chuckles against his shoulder. "Okay, fine…you win. Can I crash here?"

"Of course, I'll bring you something to sleep in."

Initially, he's tempted to give her something that one of his many former bed partners left behind. But he doesn't like the idea of Liz wearing something that belonged to another woman, and the idea of her in one of his t-shirts is impossible to resist. So a few moments later, he returns with a t-shirt of his and a pair of running shorts and sees Liz sprawled out on his couch. For a moment, he thinks she has fallen asleep but her head swivels when she hears him approach and she gives him a lopsided smile.

"This is for you. You can change in the guest bathroom. I left a new toothbrush there for you to use." Before retiring to his own room, he sees Liz bite down on her lip apprehensively. "What is it? Do you need something else?"

"Well…no, never mind. It's stupid."

"Lemon, you just consumed an entire bottle of wine. If there was ever a time to be honest and not hold anything back, this is it."

"I know it's silly, but I'm not used to sleeping alone now. Could I…sleep in your bed? With you? I mean, not _with _you. I'll be there. You'll be there too. We'll be there together. But not…you know, doing anything Cinemaxy."

He tries his best to conceal his shock at her request, but he can still feel his eyebrows practically fly up to his hairline. "Okay." He manages to reply, knowing a simple, straightforward response is exactly what this situation warrants.

"Really? Thanks, Jack. I promise. I'll be on the complete opposite side of the bed. You won't even know I'm there." She declares and then hastily rushes to the bathroom to change. Jack shakes his head at her comment and mutters to himself, "I seriously doubt that."


	3. Chapter 3

For once in his life, he doesn't know how to interpret a woman's intentions. Usually, when a woman invites herself into his bed – no matter how coy the invitation – there is an implicit agreement that some form of sex will take place. But he knows Elizabeth Lemon. And, as such, he knows that she doesn't have a coquettish bone in her body and her aversion to sex would usually preclude her ever initiating it. If he understands the way her mind works (and he believes he does, there is perhaps no other woman whose thoughts and he behaviors he knows so intimately), Liz is truly looking to share a bed for strictly platonic purposes. The idea that she wants to be with him in such an intimate context and doesn't even entertain the possibility of anything sexual occurring bothers him a great deal. To most women, his presence in a bed is noticeable and palpable; he is, after all, virility personified. But apparently none of that works for Liz because she is able to view him as a stand-in for the boyfriend that left her.

His internal musings are interrupted when he hears a quiet knock on his bedroom door. He turns around in bed to see Liz in the doorway, awkwardly pulling his t-shirt down at the hem as much as she can.

"Your shorts were too big…so I didn't leave them on." She explains shyly. His eyes drift down to how his t-shirt barely covers the top of her thighs and skims just below her hips. He doesn't think he's ever seen her wear so little and the sudden visual imagery catches him off guard. "Ah, that's quite alright, Lemon. I should have figured those wouldn't fit you." He attempts to say as nonchalantly as possible.

"Are you grossed out by me being almost naked?" She cringes, "I can go into the guest room. Or sleep in my jeans…"

"Don't be ridiculous. You will not be sleeping in the guestroom and I loathe seeing women wearing jeans on the street, much less in my bed."

"Okay, cool. The upshot to all this is that I got my legs waxed the other day, so you're getting a very unusual hair-free Lemon experience." Jack watches her crawl into bed and true to her word, she stays as far away from him as possible. So much so, that half of her body is practically dangling in mid-air.

"Liz, you can move in a bit. I promise I won't bite." She gives him an appreciative grin and scoots a couple inches closer to him. At this point, they are both on their sides facing each other. He's not sure what to say exactly. He's never been in bed with a woman without the promise of something else occurring.

"Your sheets are really nice." He smiles, leave it to Liz to mention the most mundane detail in a situation in order to offset the tension.

"They are Egyptian cotton. I'll bring you a set for your apartment. Everyone should sleep on sheets like these."

"Oh, sweet. Thanks." She grins and after an awkward silence adds, "They smell good too. Like lavender."

"I'll be sure to let my housekeeper know you find her selection of laundry detergent satisfactory. Is there anything else you'd like to say about my _sheets_?" He teases liltingly, poking fun at her attempt to fill the silence with her unnecessary observations.

"No." She scoffs.

"Go to bed, Lemon."

"Sounds like a plan. Good night, Jack."

The long business trip, mixed with the alcohol allows Jack to fall asleep quite quickly, but Liz's constant tossing and turning beside him interrupts his slumber.

"Lemon, what's wrong?" He grunts, forcing himself to open his eyes.

"Sorry. I'm really bothering you, aren't I? I should go to the guest room." He quickly wraps his fingers around her wrist to prevent her from leaving.

"If you tell me what's wrong, I can try to fix it."

"I guess it just hit me that Criss and I our done. And…I'm really going to miss him, Jack." The somber tone of her voice in the darkness, makes Jack feel for her pain while envying this other man who doesn't deserve her.

He inches closer to her and props his head up with his hand so he can look down at her when he says, "I doubt you two are really over. Usually abrupt break ups like these rarely hold water. He'll most likely come crawling back and apologize for speaking rashly."

"Really? You think so?"

"I don't know Criss that well, but that is usually how these things go."

"I hope you're right." She sighs. "I still can't sleep."

"There is something I could do that would make you fall asleep immediately, but you have to just go with it and trust me." He says cautiously and can't help but notice Liz smirking back at him.

"You're not going to drug me, are you?"

"No, nothing like that." He then swiftly pulls her body toward him so they are practically spooning. Liz's gasp of surprise quickly turns into a moan when his hands massage and glide over her shoulders. "I find that women typically find this relaxing."

"Um…yeah, this is good." She murmurs.

"So I may continue?" Her face is buried in the pillow and, upon hearing her muffled consent, he begins slowly massaging every inch of her back. Touching her like this, without being able to take things further, without being able to undress her, without being able to feel her skin, is a certain kind of torture. But he can see how much she's enjoying this, and giving her pleasure is something that has become a matter of instinct these days.

It doesn't take long; barely 10 minutes have passed before she is asleep in his arms. Her body securely tucked against his, her face resting on his arm; the naturalness of how their bodies are situated makes him convinced more than ever that this is exactly how the two of them are meant to be, that this is how they're supposed to end every night and not just this one. This is Jack's last coherent thought before he too, surrenders himself to sleep.

He stirs groggily in bed when he hears Liz settle a glass of water by the nightstand. "I didn't mean to wake you." She grins, sitting back down on the bed beside him. "Your housekeeper gave me some aspirin and I brought some for you – figured you needed it." She hands him the water glass, which he gratefully accepts and she gently places the two pills in his palm. His eyes rove over her and frowns in disappointment when he sees that she's fully dressed in last night's attire.

"You don't have to leave so soon. Stay for breakfast."

"Aw, I'm sure what you have here blows anything I have in my apartment out of the water, but Criss is waiting for me." Jack tries to maintain a sense of calm when he notices the sheer happiness radiating from her – a happiness that has nothing to do with him.

"Is that so?"

"Yes! You were right. Well, you're always right. I don't know why I'm surprised." She smiles bashfully and rests her hand affectionately on his arm. "It looks like I'm not doomed to be alone forever after all. Yay!" She playfully rubs her hand up and down his arm, and Jack forces himself crack a smile. "You okay there, buddy?" She asks, her eyes narrowing at him in concern.

He's not used to being used as a prop in a woman's love life, but he supposes that's exactly what he's become – a mechanism for Liz to turn to for comfort when her personal life is in disarray. He never thought he'd ever lose to a man like Criss -a man with no prospects and little substance. For once in his life, Jack is flabbergasted that his good looks, charm, intelligence and inordinate wealth does him no favors with winning over a woman. And in the battlefield of love, he has lost to a more handsome, younger, kinder version of Dennis Duffy.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine, just had a tad too much to drink." His chest expands when he sees that she is looking at him so affectionately, so lovingly, if there was a time to make any sort of declaration, he knows that this moment would be it. But knowing that another man is responsible for a rather significant portion of the elation she is experiencing would render any revelation or confession completely unwanted and maybe even a tad pathetic.

"I'll walk you out." As he gets up from the bed, Liz protests at his gallant act of showing her out the door, but he ignores her. Mostly, he insists on escorting her to the door because it's what you do when a woman spends the night at a man's place. But mostly, he wants to savor being in her company -her being in his home -a little while longer. When they reach his threshold, she explains that she will go home to shower and get dressed and then meet Criss at a coffee shop in order to talk.

"Is it okay if I show up a few minutes late for work, then?" She asks.

"Of course. But, Lemon," he begins, "perhaps you should make him sweat it out a bit. Don't you think agreeing to meet with him so soon after he decided to break up with you is a little too forgiving?" After he says it, he knows he overstepped his boundaries, but Liz doesn't seem angry with him or put off.

"Ah, the whole games and manipulation thing is your bag. I'm a lot simpler. I just want a dude who loves me and that I love back." He wants to tell her that she already has that, that he wants to provide that for her and everything else she could ever want, but before he can say anything she enthusiastically wraps her arms around his neck and plants a firm kiss on his cheek.

Whispering against his ear, she murmurs, "Thanks for last night, Jack. I don't know what I would do without you."

She turns to leave, but before she rounds the corner to the elevator, Jack hastily shuts the door behind him and follows her.

"You might have to." He says loudly, his voice echoing down the hallway.

She turns, confused, "What?"

"You may have to know how to cope without me. Because…Criss is going to forgive you, but he's also going to insist that you maintain a strictly professional relationship with me."

She takes a few steps toward him, her head cocked to the side, "Why? He knows we're just friends."

He pauses, and then begins to speak cautiously; knowing a slight misstep in his words can cause irreparable damage to their friendship. "I'm going to say something now. And I want you to know, if you don't agree with any of it, we can pretend like this conversation never happened."

"Oh boy. Do I need to sit down?" She looks around and, frowns when she sees there is no place to sit in his empty hallway. "I really wish your hallway had a chair." She mutters staring down at the floor.

"What I'm going to say is not meant to upset you in any way. " He takes a deep breath; gently lifts her chin with his index finger so his eyes fixate on her and says, "Criss will want you to sever all personal ties with me because he thinks I'm a threat. And I am."

Her jaw drops and she glares at him angrily. "_What _are you talking about? Nothing happened last night."

"Doesn't mean I didn't want it to. Doesn't mean that I didn't want to kiss you. Hold you." He steps even closer, his eyes smoldering as he says, "Make love to you."

"Jack – shut up." She whispers, her voice strained. She looks up and her eyes are shining and he can tell she's trying her best not to cry in front him. "You tell me this _now_? Why didn't you say anything before?" He is about to respond but she shakes her head vehemently. "No. I don't want to hear it. You're too late, Jack. You're six years too late."

He doesn't stop her from turning on her heel and rushing further down the hallway to his elevator. He doesn't know why he even attempted to say anything at all. She is engaged to someone else. Even as a middle-aged man he can't seem to shake his romantic inclinations with regards to love. Normally, he has no regrets when he chooses to wear his heart on his sleeve – after all, when he does so it rarely ends in an unmitigated disaster. He simply should have let Liz marry the man she loves. Maybe then, he would at least still have his best friend.

He numbly walks back into his apartment, and braces himself for what is bound to be an awkward day at the office. He is at his table, sipping his morning coffee and reading the paper. None of the words on the page register, the coffee is bland and the food on his plate is untouched. When he hears a knock on his door, he assumes its Avery with Liddy. He makes his way to the foyer and stops in shock when he sees Liz holding Liddy.

"I bumped into Avery in the lobby. She said she was in a hurry so she asked if I could bring Liddy up." She mutters shyly as she gently sets Liddy down on the floor. Jack can't help but smile as Liddy scrambles over to Jack eagerly, her hands eagerly encircling his leg. He hoists her up, but his eyes remain focused on Liz who is restlessly shifting from foot to foot.

"Thank you, Liz." He nods. There is a thick, awkward silence in the room and Jack isn't sure what to say. "Liz –"

"I just want to make sure we're on the same page here - you're in love with me?"

"Very much so." She nods quickly, her brain obviously trying to come to terms with this news.

"But more than that, I want you to be happy. It's a goal I've been working tirelessly toward ever since I met you."

"You think you can make me happy?" She asks sharply.

"I would certainly like the chance to try."

"I want a family, Jack."

This response doesn't faze him. "That is hardly a secret. Even the man who makes your subs is aware of your desire to procreate."

"You up for that, Jack? The whole thing? I don't just want to be some failed experiment in your dating repertoire."

"I'm offering the whole package here, Liz. No half-measures."

"Yikes. You must really love me."

He smiles, and even Liddy seems to understand the weight of the moment because aside from the soft sucking of her thumb, she doesn't make a sound. He steps closer to her, bends down, and upon seeing that there's no resistance from her, he places a light chaste kiss on her lips. Liddy, in a phase where she is copying everything she sees, leans forward and kisses Liz's face as well, causing Liz to giggle.

"See? Even Liddy is on board." He chuckles and Liz's hands brush over her lips, unable to conceal her smile.

"I need time, Jack. This is a lot to process."

"Take all the time you need. We'll be right here." With that, she decisively turns around and exists the living room. Jack stares at Liddy and unable to contain his joy that there is hope with Liz, he lifts her up in the air gleefully before setting her down in her play area. The minute he rights himself, he feels someone sharply poke his shoulder. He turns around, only to find a smirking Liz standing in front of him.

"Screw it." Before he even begins to comprehend what she plans to do, she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him down for a deep kiss. "Promise me I won't regret this, Donaghy." She warns him sternly, after breaking away from the kiss, but the grin on her face completely undercuts the tone of her voice.

Smiling, he's convinced he's never made a promise so eagerly and quickly in his life, "You have my word, Lemon."

-END-


End file.
